In the Qlik world, we are frequently faced with questions like:
- Where did this field come from?
- What applications (if any) use this QVD?
- If I change this database table, what applications will be affected?
- Am I creating QVDs that are not being consumed?
I’ve maintained a QlikView lineage application for my customers over the years. I was never completely happy with it as Qlik lineage metadata is inconsistent and the critically important field level lineage was never available.
All that changed when I discovered NodeGraph. Now I’m a NodeGraph fan and partner.
NodeGraph is an add-on for your QlikView and Qlik Sense solutions that allows you to explore, visualize and trace where your data comes from, whether it’s up-to-date, how it’s calculated, and much more.
NodeGraph scans both QlikView and Qlik Sense files and produces a graph of applications and data in a beautiful easy to navigate interface. Select any node, for example a dashboard QVW, and lines trace the data lineage through transformed QVDs all the way back to the source database.
You can search, filter and drill in any direction; from applications, QVDs, source tables, fields, charts or SQL queries.
Where did this field come from? Right-Click any field and select the Field Explorer to get a report of the complete lineage for this field, including all script transformations!
I’m looking at a chart that shows a count of Customers. How was that count calculated? Where did the data come from? In the Content view I can review the expression and see the lineage for fields used.
One of my favorite features is the one-click application documentation. The tool generates a pretty printable/PDF document suitable for Auditors that describes all data sources, transformations, and expressions used in the selected application.
There are more uses and features in NodeGraph than I can cover in a blog post, including governance reports, application usage, GDPR compliance and testing.
If you are coming to Qonnections, see NodeGraph in action at the TechLab10 booth (#603) in the Discovery Expo.
Learn more about NodeGraph at nodegraph.se. If you have questions or would like to schedule a free demo, reach out to the NodeGraph team on the website or info@nodegraph.se. If you are in North America you can contact me directly for questions or to scheduling a demo.
-Rob
Really great and simple tool. Especially in regard to GDPR. Or just to clean up longstanding accrued qvw-qvd-mess 🙂
Great
Is this an extension object or an object type with in qlik. It’s awesome
NodeGraph is a separate product that runs outside Qlik.
Can NG analyze the Hidden-Script content too?
NG analyzes the script found in document logs to complete field level analysis. Because hidden script does not log script statements, then no, NG cannot provide complete lineage for hidden script.